In certain oven cooking applications it is advantageous to have a coating on the inside of the oven cavity that reflects radiant energy. Unfortunately, most coating materials exhibit characteristics which are not ideal for the reflection of radiant energy or energy characterized by infrared radiation. Generally, the absorption characteristics of most coatings have not been engineered to achieve a high degree of reflectivity. Additionally, the matrix or body of the coating may have an overriding effect on the reflectivity of the coating.
Enhanced thermal reflectivity of a coating over a range of wave lengths has a number of important benefits in certain applications. These include better thermal management in devices used to process any variety of materials via heating, such as, for example, an oven that is utilized to cook food.
Porcelain enamel coating materials are well-known and used extensively to coat the interiors of heating devices such as ovens. Examples of such porcelain enamel coating materials and methods for applying such coatings may be found for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,204,021, 4,110,487, 4,085,021 and 3,928,668.
Unfortunately, the ability of conventional porcelain enamel coating materials to reflect radiation is minimal.